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On the Fly-March/April 07 |
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Written by Fred Petrie
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Industry News
HELIJET ADDS LEARJET TO AIR AMBULANCE FLEET
Vancouver-based
Helijet International has added a Bombardier Learjet 31A to its air
ambulance fleet. The dedicated medevac aircraft will operate on behalf
of the British Columbia Ambulance Service (BCAS) on a threeyear
contract which will be fully negotiated and released by early spring.
The need for a jet aircraft came about as BCAS reevaluated its air
ambulance requirements for the future.
In the past Helijet has
operated a fleet of four dedicated medevac aircraft on behalf of BCAS
including two Sikorsky S-76A helicopters and two Beechcraft King Air
200s. The flight operations of the two helicopters will remain
unchanged with the addition of the Learjet.
The Learjet 31A is
an ideal air ambulance platform due to its versatility, flexibility and
proven track record as a medevac aircraft. The jet is able to carry 2
patients and 3 paramedics to destinations throughout BC and transport
patients from other Canadian provinces. Another advantage of the
aircraft is a high cruise speed and a certified cruising altitude of up
to 51,000 feet.
BCAS has utilized the Learjet 31A in the past
both with Canadian Global Air Ambulance and Western Express Airlines
(WestEx) before it ceased operations.
Helijet was one of three
BC companies selected to negotiate portions of the new BCAS air
ambulance contract. Carson Air of Kelowna was selected to operate three
turboprop aircraft from Vancouver and one from Kelowna. The third
vendor, Northern Thunderbird Air, has been selected to operate one
turboprop aircraft from its home base of Prince George.
The role
of air ambulance service in BC has evolved and expanded in recent years
largely due to rising transportation costs and increased patient
movements between larger metropolitan centres with specialized services.
FLYING COLOURS CRJ200 EXECUTIVE CONVERSION
Flying
Colours Corp. was recently awarded a contract to complete a full
executive conversion on a Bombardier CRJ200 Airliner for an
international client. The aircraft is to have its original airline
configuration removed completely and reconfigured in an executive
layout, which will include the following highlights: new interior shell
package, soundproofing package, custom ‘S’ style galley, new
Erda/Decrane seating in a custom configuration, new Audio International
cabin management system, Emteq LED lighting system, all executive cabin
amenities, a complete entertainment system, new long-range fuel system,
and custom exterior paint scheme.
All manufacturing and
installation will be conducted by Flying Colours personnel at their
Peterborough, ON facility. Flying Colours will be assisted on this
project by Deca Aviation Services (engineering) and Skyservice Business
Aviation (maintenance).
Flying Colours Corp. is a Canadian-based
completion centre specializing in exterior and interior refinishing, as
well as maintenance and modifications on all types of jet and turboprop
aircraft.
DASSAULT FALCON RECEIVES CANADIAN TYPE CERTIFICATION
Dassault
Falcon recently received type certification from Transport Canada for
the Falcon 900EX EASy, Falcon 900DX and Falcon 2000 family of business
jets. The certification follows several months of simulator and flight
testing by Canadian authorities and allows these aircraft to be
registered in Canada. As a result of the close working relationship
formed through this effort, type certification from Transport Canada
for the 5,950-nm Falcon 7X is expected in 2008.
“These type
certificates allow us to continue our growth in Canada which has
progressed rapidly over the past three years,” said John Rosanvallon,
President and CEO of Dassault Falcon. “We’ve increased our focus in
Canada and expect continued success in the future.”
In 2006,
Dassault Falcon signed an agreement with Skyservice’s Toronto
maintenance facility to become a Falcon Line Maintenance Service Centre
in Canada. The agreement covers service and support of the Falcon 50,
Falcon 900 and Falcon 2000. Service and support is available for
transient service, unscheduled maintenance and troubleshooting, AOG
support and scheduled maintenance including basic inspection and ‘A’
checks. Also in 2006, Bob ‘Herbie’ Kane was named Canadian director of
sales for Dassault Falcon. He is responsible for sales and marketing of
the full line of new Falcon business jets in Canada. Kane was
previously responsible for concept sales in the western US and is a
graduate of the US Naval Academy.
BOMBARDIER CHALLENGER 605 JET HAS ARRIVED
Bombardier
announced in February that its nextgeneration Challenger 605 widebody
business jet entered service in late January with Russell Aviation
Leasing Inc. which will lease the aircraft to Bombardier to be used as
its demonstrator for 2007.
All the new features aboard the
Challenger 605 are present in this first aircraft, including the widest
stand-up cabin of any large-category business jet available today. It
is equipped with the Rockwell Collins Pro Line 21 avionics suite that
supports real-time satellite graphical weather and electronic charts to
enhance situational awareness and reduce pilot workload, and features a
state-of-the-art Ethernet-based Cabin Electronic System.
First
flight was on Jan. 22, 2006, and certification by Transport Canada, the
Federal Aviation Administration, and the European Aviation Safety
Agency were all awarded in October 2006.
The Challenger 605
operates at a maximum cruise speed of Mach 0.82 (870 km/h), and offers
an increased payload capacity of 200 pounds (91 kg), with up to 12
passengers. The list price for a typically equipped Challenger 605
aircraft is US$26.7 million.
AVCORP ADDS CEO TO LEADERSHIP TEAM
Avcorp
Industries Inc. has entered into an agreement to retain Mark van Rooij
as its new chief executive officer effective April 1, to work closely
with president Paul Kalil. Van Rooij is currently executive
vice-president of Stork Fokker based in the Netherlands. He has been
with Stork for over 20 years.
Van Rooij is a mechanical engineer
and a member of the board of management of Stork Fokker, an
aerostructures and special products company with over $400 million in
revenue and 1,900 employees. “We are confident that we have the right
leadership team to move the company to the next level,” said Michael
Scholz, chairman. “The addition of van Rooij will provide us with
valuable operational and international aerospace experience to assist
us during our next stage of growth.”
Avcorp Industries designs
and builds major airframe structures for some of the world’s most
respected aircraft companies, including Boeing, Bombardier and Cessna.
With 50 years of experience, Avcorp employs more than 600 skilled
employees in a 300,000-square-foot facility near Vancouver.
FIELD AVIATION TOPS IN INTERNATIONAL SALES FOR RAISBECK DEALERS
Seattle-based
Raisbeck Engineering has announced that its leading international sales
representative for 2006 is Field Aviation Sales Ltd. of Mississauga and
Calgary. Chris Cooper-Slipper, Field’s VP of sales, appointed Frank
Dennis to head sales and marketing of the Raisbeck product line. Under
Dennis’ direction, Field not only led all Raisbeck international
dealers in sales but was second in overall sales including all of
Raisbeck’s domestic US dealers.
Raisbeck products are a select
combination of engineered systems that enable aircraft to deliver
enhanced performance and productivity. Because they are sold as
individual kits operators may purchase and install them all at once or
over an extended period of time as maintenance schedules and budgets
allow.
While not all Raisbeck products are available for every
King Air model, they do provide a broad coverage of enhancements. As
Dennis points out, various Raisbeck kits have become so popular that
Beechcraft is now incorporating both the Dual Aft Body Strakes and
Nacelle Wing Lockers as standard equipment on all new King Air 350s.
Additional Raisbeck systems are available as Raytheon factory-installed
options. This illustrates not only how Raisbeck has engineered a
product that makes sense for the operator, but also that they have
developed and earned the trust of the original equipment manufacturer.
If operators elect to have Raisbeck mods installed on their King Airs,
the original manufacturer’s warranty is not affected. This is not
necessarily the case when adding some other aftermarket items.
EXELTECH SIGNS CRJ 200 CONTRACT
ExelTech
Aerospace Inc., a Montreal-based aircraft services company, has signed
a deal to modify 44 Bombardier CRJ-200 aircraft for a large US regional
airline.
The contract, announced in February, is worth more than
US$2.5 million over the next 14 months, the work to be done at the
company’s maintenance centre at Trudeau International Airport.
ExelTech
Aerospace began providing major structural maintenance and
modifications on Bombardier CRJ regional jets in April 2005. Today, its
customers include nine Canadian and US airlines, leasing companies and
service providers.
PORTER AIRLINES DEPLOYS KINETICS SELF-SERVICE CHECK-IN
Toronto-based
Porter Airlines is offering its customers the convenience of
self-service check-in via kiosks from Kinetics, a subsidiary of NCR
Corporation. Porter Airlines has deployed Kinetics TouchPort IIC
self-check-in kiosks, featuring a passport reader and bar-code imager,
in its ticketing area at Toronto City Centre Airport and at the
airline’s shuttle service departure site. The Kinetics selfservice
software application allows passengers to access their itinerary, check
baggage, swipe their credit card for personal or group check-in and
print their boarding pass.
Kinetics is a leading provider of
self-service technologies for the travel industry, offering hardware,
industrial design, engineering, software solutions and maintenance
support. The company has deployed thousands of Touch- Port units in
over 285 airports worldwide.
CANADA’S AVIATION HALL OF FAME – CALL FOR NOMINATIONS
Canada’s
Aviation Hall of Fame accepts nominations from across the country until
June 30, each year. If you know someone – living or deceased – who has
made an important and lasting contribution to aviation or space in
Canada, go to www.CAHF.ca, click on “Nomination” and download the
nominations forms. Alternatively, call the Hall at 780-361-1351.
Make a difference. Nominate a worthy person to Canada’s Aviation Hall of Fame.
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